Some advice,....DO NOT CLEAN THEM, only the surface dirt with mild soap and water,..the tape mark is a non issue,..cleanning them will effect the value cuz collectors are that anal !!

Yes they are collected pieces, but they are less collectible than older Istanbul K's. Can you use them? Absolutely! My son and I regularly play, and he often gigs, with the old K's we own. That's what they were made for. However, if you are expecting to be a hard hitting rock drummer and/or are using heavy sticks the size of baseball bats, you might want to consider using other hi hat cymbals, especially while you are learning.

Got it Oddball, don't clean. So playing them will not affect the collectors value as long as I don't go crazy. Thanks BosLover. Did you happen to check out my first post with the pics of the set in it? Oddball, here are the pics you asked for.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/Kaliman/matchingStamps.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/Kaliman/bottom.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/Kaliman/matchingAuto.jpg[/IMG]

You don't see many Turkish K's stamped medium or Hi-Hat Bottom but it does give some indication that they may be an original pair. These are probably getting near to the time that the factory was closed and production was transferred to N.A.

There are mixed feelings on cleaning old K's and the effect on their value. I don't clean them and many others here don't as well, however some folks do. I personally think it affects value but others might disagree. I often avoid buying vintage cymbals that have been cleaned since I don't know what chemicals/abrasives might have been used to clean them. I also believe cleaning affects the sound. But... they are your cymbals! Clean them or not, as you see fit. The best way to clean cymbal and still maintain the patina is to use a soft cloth and mild soap to get off excess dirt and crud. It might help some with the tape residue on the A's

According to Drumaholic's time line, they looks like the older new stamp form 67-72. The newer new stamp is from 72-77. It was after that when they brought production to NA. I can't comment on the ink stamps. Maybe Drumaholic can give us a perspective on them.

The stamps look the same to me but one looks to have been struck harder,...It`s best to hear from Drumaholic.

I think you have a factory matched set, and that`s way good !!

The only difference I see is in the latheing,..but that may be the way it goes,...wait to hear from Drumaholic !!

What's the latheing?

the lines that make it look like an old Lp vinyl record !!